A striking feature of the U.S. hog industry has been the rapid shift to fewer and larger operations, associated with technological change and evolving industry structure. The United States is the world's third-largest producer and consumer of pork and pork products. It is also the world's largest exporter of pork and pork products, with exports averaging over 20 percent of commercial pork production in most years. U.S. hog operations today tend to be heavily concentrated in the Midwest and in eastern North Carolina. ERS data and analysis includes: